Bajaj Pulsar

Infobox Motorcycle


name = Bajaj Pulsar DTS-i
manufacturer = Bajaj Auto
production = 2001-present
class = sub 150 cc
platform =
engine = 150 cc/180 cc/200 cc/220 cc Air-cooled, Oil Cooled, four-stroke cycle, single piston, kick start / electric start
power = convert|20|hp|kW|abbr=on @ 8500 rpm
torque = convert|19.12|Nm|lbft|abbr=on @ 6500 rpm
transmission = 5-Gear
length =
width =
height =
dry_weight =
wet_weight = 140 kg
wheelbase = 1320 mm
tires = 17" tube/tubeless
fuel_capacity =
suspension = Front: Telescopic fork, 135 mm travel
Rear: Nitrox gas assisted shock Absorbers.
brakes = Front: 240/260 mm (disc)
Rear: 130/230 mm (Drum/Disc)
turn_radius = 2500mm
designer = Tokyo R&D
predecessor =
successor =
aka =
related = Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme, Honda Unicorn , TVS TVS Apache ,Hero Honda Karizma
similar =

Bajaj Pulsar is a motorcycle brand owned by Bajaj Auto in India. The two wheeler was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with famous Japanese design house [http://www.r-d.co.jp/eng/ Tokyo R&D] . [http://www.sae.org/automag/globalvehicles/02-2002/page4.htm Asian technological entrepreneur] ]

History

Before the introduction of the Pulsar, the Indian motorcycle market trend was towards fuel efficient, small capacity motorcycles (that formed the 80-125 cc class). Bigger motorcycles with higher capacity virtually did not exist (except for Enfield Bullet). The launch and success of Hero Honda CBZ in 1999 showed that there was demand for performance bikes. Bajaj took the cue from there on and launched the Pulsar twins in India on November 24, 2001. [cite web
url=http://www.bsmotoring.com/oldsite/2001/01feb10_1.htm
title=Pulsar design
accessdate=2007-04-06] Since the introduction and success of Hero Honda CBZ, the Indian youth began expecting high power and other features from affordable motorcycles.

Market position

As of 2006, the Bajaj Pulsars arguably form the most popular motorbike product in the newly emerging 150+ cc class of Indian two wheeler market. [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2004/05/27/stories/2004052700200100.htm Bajaj: Back to the future] ] Bajaj have been regularly making alterations to it to make the motorbike look fresh at all times.

Versions

2001

The original Pulsar came with a 150 cc or 180 cc air-cooled, single-cylinder, petrol, spark-ignited four-stroke engine. They featured a single spark plug to ignite the air-fuel mixture fed from a carburetor, simple spring shock absorbers, round headlamp dome and 1,235 mm wheelbase. Disc brakes as standard equipment was a novelty in Indian motorcycles of the early 2000s. Other standard features were parking lights and an aircraft-type fuel tank lid. The 180 cc version came with Electric Start (ES) and twin-tone horn, both of which were optional equipment on the 150 cc version.

2003

The second generation Pulsars featured Bajaj Auto's newly developed DTSi technology [Bajaj Auto claims that they are in the process of obtaining a patent for DTSi] , which increased the power rating of both versions by 1 bhp each and also increased fuel economycite web
url=http://www.blonnet.com/iw/2003/11/30/stories/2003113000101100.htm
title=DTSi Technology
accessdate=2007-04-06] . This model also sported a new headlamp assembly, 1,320 mm wheelbase [cite web
url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2003/11/30/stories/2003113000121100.htm
title=Wheelbase
accessdate=2007-04-06] , and standard twin-tone horn and trip meter.

2005

In 2005, Bajaj launched another upgrade of the Pulsar. The bike was offered with 17 inch alloy wheels as standard option, and the stance was also lowered by about 12 mm. It was the first time any bike maker in India had offered 17 inch profile wheels at the rear. The fuel tank now had a capacity of only 15 litres [cite web
url=http://www.indiabike.com/roadtest/shootout/shootout_dec2004/design.htm
title=2004 design upgrades
accessdate=2007-04-07] . The power output was now further increased to 13.5 bhp @ 8500 rpm [cite web
url=http://www.indiabike.com/roadtest/shootout/shootout_dec2004/engine.htm
title=2004 power upgrades
accessdate=2007-04-07] . The rear shock absorbers were now gas-filled Nitrox absorbers.

2006

Bajaj introduced another version of Pulsar. New features included: pilot lamps separated from the main headlamp, turn indicators with clear lenses and amber bulb, self-cancelling turn indicator switch, flush LCD screen with digital read-out of key vehicle data, non-contact speed sensor, non-contact backlit switches, twin-stripe LED tail-light assembly and side panels altered for a sharp, tapering-towards-the-rear look. The engine had increased torque availability, reduced vibration and improved gear shift feel. They also introduced the 1 Down 4 Up variant of the Gear box for the first time on sub 150cc variants. [cite web
url=http://www.blonnet.com/iw/2006/11/05/stories/2006110502471700.htm
title=2006 Pulsar features
accessdate=2007-04-09] .

2007

In July 2007, Bajaj began selling the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi and Pulsar 200 DTS-i, featuring fuel injection and oil cooled engines, a digital dash, and modern styling. This bike has some features which are totally new to the Indian market, like the fuel injection itself, rear disc brake(only in 220), and clip-on handlebars(only in 220).

Technology

on the multiple-spark-plugs technology. In India, it has often been a subject of debate and curiosity if the multiple-spark-plug idea is of any noticeable utility or not.

DTSi

DTSi stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition, a Bajaj Auto trademark. The DTSi idea is a simple one to understand - it involved usage of two spark plugs (instead of the usual choice of one) per engine cylinder.

Bajaj Auto holds an Indian patent for the DTSi technology. The Alfa Romeo Twin-Spark engines, the BMW F650 Funduro which was sold in India from 1995 to 1997 also had a twin-spark plug technology, and the Rotax motorcycle engines,more recently Honda's iDSI Vehicle engines use a similar arrangement of two spark-plugs. However very few small capacity engines did eventually implement such a scheme in their production prototypes. This may be the case because the idea was perhaps not observed to yield any significant or noticeable performance benefit that could be justified against the additional investment of an extra spark plug. This may well be the reason behind very few Indian motorcycles offering products based

While Bajaj claims that the Pulsar is a complete in house product, it should also be known that they had learnt a considerable know-how of building motorcycles from their erstwhile technology partner Kawasaki. Take for instance the original Kawasaki-Bajaj Eliminator, (now sold as the Bajaj Avenger) that had a different engine design than that of the current 180/200 cc Avenger series.

ExhausTEC

ExhausTEC stands for Exhaust Torque Expansion Chamber, a Bajaj Auto trademark. The technology involves use of a small chamber connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine to modify the back-pressure and the swirl characteristics, with an aim to improve the low-end performance of the bikes. This was attempted in response to the issue of a reported lack of low-end response in Bajaj's single-cylinder four-stroke engines. The ExhausTEC technology is claimed to be highly effective in improving the overall engine response, especially the low-end torque characteristics. This enhanced performance is claimed to come at no loss of top-end performance or engine smoothness.

Fuel injection

Fuel injection technology worldwide

As opposed to the carburetor, the fuel injection mechanism usually improves the engine startability, offers a brisker torque response to throttle changes and diagnostics features. It is possible to establish accurate closed-loop control of air-fuel ratio by using the fuel injection mechanism (as an actuator) and utilizing feedback information from an exhaust oxygen sensor (as a sensor). These two components require sophisticated manufacturing practices and therefore a closed-loop fuel injection system forms a costly proposition. It was discovered in late 1970s that accurate closed-loop control of air-fuel mixture encourages efficient destruction of exhaust pollutants in a three-way catalytic converters thereby enabling a gasoline engine to produce substantially low exhaust emission quantities as demanded by the emission standards worldwide. It is for this reason that microprocessor based fuel injection technology has been implemented widely in gasoline powered four-wheelers since early 1980s. In early 1990s, several global two-wheeler OEMs also began downsizing and adapting the fuel injection technology for use in two-wheelers; the most notable efforts [http://world.honda.com/motorcycle-technology/pgm-fi/p1.html Honda: The newly developed PGM-FI (electronic fuel injection) system for small motorcycles] ] have perhaps been those from Honda.

Fuel injection technology in India

In India, all four wheelers since late 1990s feature microprocessor based closed-loop fuel injection technology in place of traditional carburetor to meet the Bharat emission standards imposed by the Government of India. [http://www.petroleumbazaar.com/Library/auto%20fuel%20policy/ch_12.pdf Twelfth Chapter of the Auto Fuel Policy Report published by the Government of India] ] Indian two-wheeler companies have been little sluggish in comparison, however since early 2000s, they too have initiated developing the fuel injection technology to meet the emission standards of the future (early 2010s) and for customer appeal of a high-end technology.

The relatively late entry of fuel injection technology in Indian two-wheelers is mainly attributed to the higher cost sensitiveness of the Indian two-wheeler market in comparison with the Indian four-wheeler market.

It is for these reasons, introductions of fuel-injected motorcycles such as [http://www.herohonda.com/glamourPGMfi/ Glamour FI] , Pulsar 220 into Indian market are often considered as bold, aggressive moves. The often prohibitively higher cost that fuel-injection warrants limits the application to the 'premium' segment of the motorcycle market, as is exemplified by the rather slow sales of the Glamour FI.

However, the early fuel injected two-wheelers in India are not expected to implement the aforesaid closed-loop control of air-fuel ratio in view of the consequent cost implications. Rather they are likely to implement the less costly option of "open-loop" or feed-forward regulation of air-fuel ratio thereby avoiding usage of (costly) exhaust oxygen sensor. Automotive experts argue that such a scheme, in comparison with the aforesaid closed-loop scheme, is often significantly less effective in reducing exhaust pollutants (see Catalytic converter#Rich Burn Spark Ignition Engines). As a result, the early fuel injected Indian two-wheelers are not likely to be significantly more environment-friendly than their carburetted counterparts. However, these fuel-injected two-wheelers are expected to outdo their carburetted counterparts in the areas of pickup, mileage, durability, dashboard diagnostics and the customer appeal of a high-end technology.

Criticisms

Ergonomics and quality

Taller riders often find it difficult to 'tuck in', due to the lack of knee recesses.The 2006 Pulsar also faces numerous defects. The LED Tail Lights, Electronic Fuel gauge and Auto Start malfunctions frequently. But Bajaj has been proactive in changing the faulty components of the bikes at no cost.Bajaj has also replaced the tyre provided in 3rd upgrade model from MRF Zapper to Eurogrip which many riders feel is comparitively of inferior quality and see it as a cost cutting step.But Bajaj is making continuous efforts in order to improve the overall quality of vehicles and squeeze in more features at similar prices.

Patent infringement allegations

Recently, Bajaj Auto was in the news for accusing TVS Motors, long-standing rivals of patent infringement on the digital twin-spark ignition (DTSi) technology. [cite news|title=Patent row: Bajaj-TVS spat may end up in court|date=2007-09-06|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Patent_row_Bajaj-TVS_spat_may_end_up_in_court/articleshow/2341713.cms|publisher=Economic Times (India Times)|accessdate=2008-01-11] TVS countered by threatening to sue Bajaj Auto for libel. [cite news|title=TVS takes lead in legal war with Bajaj|date=2007-10-27|publisher=Economic Times (India Times)|accessdate=2008-01-11|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Auto/Two-wheelers/TVS_takes_lead_in_legal_war_with_Bajaj/articleshow/2493910.cms] [cite news|title=Bajaj says to defend patent; TVS says will sue for libel|date=2007-09-03|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2008-01-11|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-29302820070903] However, the launch of the controversial product has been set back by a few months, even though it had been earlier proclaimed as being 'ready to roll out' by the company representatives. TVS has also been trying to get the Bajaj patent revoked. Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajeev Bajaj said the company would wait for TVS's Flame to be out in the market to decide on future course of action regarding the patent infringement suit. "We have no overwhelming desire or fondness to go to the court," Bajaj said.

Bajaj Auto mentions on their website that the usage of the twin spark plugs ensures a cleaner burn and less unburnt fuel in the exhaust as well as a higher thermodynamic efficiency. The supporters of this idea also claim that usage of an additional spark plug enables the engine to run a leaner air-fuel mixture leading to improved fuel efficiency. The performance of the DTSi equipped engines at high engine speeds has often been claimed to be on par with, and at times better than their Indian counterparts, despite having lower engine capacities.

Meanwhile twin spark technology has been used from a very long time and Bajaj holds a patent for an internal combustion engine with 2 valves and two spark plugs. When understood carefully what TVS has to say about the issue, it becomes clear that TVS Flames technology is no where infringing the Dts-i technology, as TVS's flame uses a 3 valve head unlike the 2 valve head of the Dts-i setup. This debate has led to speculation that Bajaj is very bothered in the long term about TVS's Flame as it would no longer be the only contender in the TWIN-spark technology. The BMW F650 Funduro which sold in India from '95-'97 had already used a Twin-spark setup.

This claim might have substance, because, at high speeds, when the stroke-time available for combustion is already very low, an additional spark plug could possibly help in realizing more complete combustion and therefore more torque. However, it should be noted that this particular benefit would be truly realized only at very high engine speeds (well over the typical on-street range of 1000-6000 RPM). In the typical speed range, the time available for combustion happens to be quite sufficient and it may not matter whether the combustion is fired using a single spark plug or two of them.

Bajaj Auto introduced the DTSi scheme first in their Pulsar engines (with engine cylinder capacities of 150 cc and 180 cc) and then followed up with the Discover engines (with engine cylinder capacities of 125 cc and 135 cc).

References

External links

* [http://www.bajajauto.com/ Bajaj Auto Ltd]
* [http://www.infibeam.com/static/bajaj-pulsar.html/ More infomation on Bajaj Pulsar]